THE SIZE OF SPERMATOZOA FROM BLACK BENGAL AND BARBARI GOATS (CAPRA HIRCUS)

Division of Animal Genetics, Indian Veterinary Research Institute, Izatnagar, U.P., India(Received 22nd January 1975)Studies such as those of Napier (1961), Woolley (1968) and Beatty (1970) have shown that significant variations in sperm phenotype are genetically based rather than caused by the external environment. Little work has been done on goat spermatozoa and their measurements (Saeki, 1948; Jelam & Nambier, 1965; Kurian & Raja, 1965; Tewari, Sharma & Roy, 1968). In view of the large number of publications on the dimensions of gametes of other mammals, the present work was undertaken to fill this gap,Seven male goats (Capra hircus) of two breeds, Black Bengal and Barbari, were selected so that the ages were similar in each group. An artificial vagina was used to collect semen; three collections were made from each goat at an interval of 3 to 5 days. Semen smears were prepared using nigrosin—eosin stain, and